"Aven, I think… I believe now."
"Believe what?"
"A world where humans and Pokémon can truly coexist in harmony. I believe that day will definitely come."
On the towering walls of the Ironblood Fortress, Aven and Mira stood side by side, gazing into the distant ridges of the Aspiration Mountains.
"Oh? What suddenly gave you such confidence?" Aven asked with a teasing half-smile, studying the lady beside him.
From his observations, this kind-hearted lord rarely spoke with such certainty. She usually liked to ask for others' opinions before making any decision at all.
"Ah?" Mira suddenly lowered her head, a little flustered. "W-Well… I am the leader of the Pokémon League now, aren't I? Of course I should have some confidence."
Aven chuckled lightly. "That's true. The Pokémon League… it's a term that carries a very special meaning."
"To create a world where humans and Pokémon coexist in peace—so long as you keep believing in that dream, it will surely come true."
He reached into his arms and gently stroked the wary Petilil nestled there. "Don't worry. I'll help you."
"Mm, then… I'll be troubling you often from now on." Mira lifted her head slightly to glance at Aven. When she saw that his eyes were fixed once more on the faraway mountains, she secretly let out a sigh of relief.
Clip-clop, clip-clop—
Just then, the sound of horses and carriage wheels echoed up from below the fortress wall.
Mira turned to look back, spotting the carriage waiting near the base of the wall, with Kevin standing dutifully beside it.
"I—I should be heading back," she said softly.
"I've already been out for two days, and there are still many affairs in Aspiration City waiting for me to handle." She lowered her gaze to her shoes, speaking almost apologetically.
"You can leave everything here to me," Aven said with a reassuring nod. "This winter, the borders won't face any more trouble."
"Mm… then, I'll be going."
Mira glanced once more at Aven, gathering psychic energy around her body.
In the next instant, her figure abruptly vanished from the wall, leaving only a shimmering ripple in the air.
"Teleportation?" Aven muttered in surprise, blinking in disbelief.
But a heartbeat later, he spotted her figure reappearing half a meter above the ground—only to plummet downward the next moment.
Seeing this, Aven's expression changed instantly. Acting on instinct, he unleashed a burst of psychic power that wrapped around Mira's falling body.
"Ah—!" Mira let out a startled yelp as she realized she was falling.
But before she hit the ground, her body suddenly stopped midair, as though an invisible force had caught her.
She quickly steadied herself, patting her chest with relief before lifting her gaze upward—where her eyes found Aven.
She could faintly sense a ripple of psychic energy coming from him. Though it was extremely weak, there was no mistaking it—Aven truly possessed a trace of psychic power.
"You alright?" Aven sighed helplessly, lifting a hand to rub his forehead.
"Kir~ lia"
Beside him, Kirlia couldn't help but giggle softly.
This lord really was a bit unreliable. Her teleportation ability was leagues behind Kirlia's own.
"I'm fine," Mira said quietly.
Without checking whether Aven had heard her, she hurried into the carriage and let out a long, quiet breath of relief.
"Mira, your heart is restless."
A calm voice echoed in her mind.
"Hmph, mind your own business," she murmured, sticking out her tongue playfully. Then, lifting the carriage curtain slightly, she peeked out toward the fortress walls.
But Aven was no longer there. His figure had already vanished from sight, leaving her feeling oddly disappointed as she let the curtain fall back into place.
The carriage began to move, slowly rolling toward Aspiration City.
…
At the northern gate of the fortress, Aven held Petilil in his arms, accompanied by Froslass and Kirlia, preparing to set out for the Aspiration Mountains.
"Luxray, I'll be counting on you next."
Unhooking a Poké Ball from his belt, Aven pressed the release switch.
With a bright flash of light, the massive figure of Luxray appeared before him, letting out a proud roar upon seeing its trainer.
Ever since its successful evolution, Luxray had fully adjusted to its new body. Compared to ordinary ones, its physique was far more muscular and powerful.
"Luxray, take me to the foot of the Aspiration Mountains," Aven said, walking up to its side.
"Meowr!"
Luxray nodded eagerly and crouched low to the ground, waiting.
Seeing this, Aven leapt lightly onto its back, placing Petilil safely before him.
Kirlia settled right behind him, wrapping her small arms around Aven's waist and resting her cheek contentedly against his back.
"Lass~"
Froslass floated gracefully beside them, her icy aura shimmering faintly in the air.
"Meowr!"
Once Aven was seated securely, Luxray stood tall and began to run, dashing swiftly toward the distant Aspiration Mountains.
Between the Ironblood Fortress and the mountains stretched a vast, barren plain—a no-man's land that had long served as the battlefield between knights and magical beasts.
As Luxray raced across the wilderness, Aven occasionally caught sight of scattered traces of battle—crimson stains splattered across rocks and soil, belonging to both humans and Pokémon alike.
But all of that was now in the past.
Soon, this land would be reclaimed and transformed into a Pokémon Breeding Zone.
The Pokémon of the Aspiration Mountains would gradually be guided there, thus completely resolving the recurring Winter Beast Tide.
"Earl Aven," said Kevin, who greeted him at the forward camp with a nod. "Has Lady Mira already returned?"
"Yes," Aven replied. "Her Highness has gone back to Aspiration City with her knight escort."
Under Kevin's guidance, Aven entered the camp. From here on, he would oversee the construction of the breeding zone himself.
"Can these Pokémon Breeding Zones really stop the 'Pokémon' from invading human lands?" Kevin asked hesitantly.
As a knight who had spent years battling magical beasts, the idea of changing their approach entirely left him deeply uncertain.
"Don't worry," Aven said calmly. "They definitely can."
"The Pokémon only invade because they're struggling to survive, don't they?"
"As long as we solve their survival problem, they'll have no reason to attack human settlements anymore."
Aven nodded toward Kevin. "Of course, there will always be a few exceptions. But as long as we can handle the majority of them, that's already a huge victory."
"No matter what, we cannot allow these Pokémon to enter the Abyssal Forest again."
Hearing this, Kevin nodded solemnly. He had fought the Abyssal Beast Tide head-on before—he knew all too well how terrifying those gray-mist-corrupted magical beasts were.
As long as they prevented more 'Pokémon' from entering the Abyssal Forest, they could better contain the corruption seeping from the Abyssal Caverns.
Besides, this time, they had already decided to make the northern frontier the main battlefield for the Winter Beast Tide. With the Ironblood Fortress as their defensive hub, their burden would be much lighter.
Kevin exhaled deeply. The fall of Marquis Hormay had indeed made the defensive strategy far easier to implement.
In the past, even though Hormay commanded the fortress, most of the pressure had always fallen on the Black Forest instead. But now, that burden could finally be shared.
"I'll leave this to you, Captain Kevin," Aven said at last. "Next, I'll head into the Aspiration Mountains myself."
"I plan to bring out a few Pokémon tribes from the mountains—these will form the initial framework for our ranger defense line."
"Also, please gather as many Oddish as you can. They'll become the very foundation of the Pokémon Breeding Zone."
Aven patiently explained the steps needed to construct the ranger defense line. He had already summoned several rangers to assist the fortress in setting it up.
"Understood. I'll make sure to gather as much food and supplies as possible," Kevin said firmly.
For now, the Ironblood Fortress remained without a formal lord, so Kevin temporarily acted as its steward, granting him authority to mobilize all of its resources.
And if Aven's plan truly succeeded, the Aspiration City Knights might even be stationed here permanently—so Kevin naturally took the project very seriously.
(End of Chapter)